"Faith? I lost that a long time ago."
Baylan Skoll, played brilliantly by the late Ray Stevenson in Season 1 of Ahsoka, received his first Star Wars Black Series release in late 2023. This Galaxy Collection Wave 15 release came in for a considerable amount of criticism due to the proportions of Skoll with Hasbro not replicating Stevenson’s 6ft 3 frame and instead giving us a Baylan Skoll who was the same height as his apprentice Shin Hati and Ahsoka Tano herself.
It was announced that there would be an Autumn 2024 release of a second Baylan Skoll figure. This ‘Mercenary’ version would come with Baylan’s cloak but there was no reference to the height issue being resolved. The figure, a Walmart exclusive in the US and sold via the Fan Channel retailers here in the UK, was number 13 in the Ahsoka Galaxy Collection and the first single figure from that particular series to switch to the new squared-off Galaxy Collection boxes. The same colour scheme was carried forward with the light blue position on the key text of Baylan’s Skoll’s packaging and on the side artwork that connects between the Admiral Thrawn release and the Shin Hati companion exclusive to this Baylan Skoll update.
The back of the box provides a short piece of background setting for Baylan Skoll alongside a repeat of the side artwork. The new boxes feature a colour-coded backdrop now to each figure, and within this, there is some imagery rather than a flat colour and within the blue for Baylan Skoll is the angled doorway of the New Republic ship where we first meet the Dark Jedi.
The figure in hand is sadly identical to the first release in 2023 with no adjustments made to the height or the supporting proportions with Skoll still featuring a pair of extremely tiny feet considering his muscular frame. The body is predominately cast in black with very well detailed armoured panels in a grey, almost corroded copper patina with overlaid wash to bring out the detail and add weathering. The sole element of colour is a green metallic and silver belt buckle.
vs original release (right) which has had height adjusted
The headsculpt, also the same as the prior release, features a reasonable likeness to Stevenson with facial printing adding a deep set pair of eyes, ringed in red, and shading around the nose. The beard is perhaps the wrong shape and rounds off the mouth too much and should be shorter cropped at the side.
While the height issues have not been fixed, the cloak that differentiates this release with the first version makes quite a bit of difference to the look for Baylan. He wore the cloak during many of his Ahsoka scenes and adding it to the base figure makes him look more complete as a Dark Jedi. The soft goods cloak is not black, but rather a very deep green with a grey trim around the hood. It is tailored so that the hood is stitched into the hooded shape with further stitching sitting around and down from the clasp to shape the cape over Baylan’s shoulders. The hood can be worn up - a reasonably natural-looking position considering the scale, or folded back to show it down. The entirety of the cape can also be removed if you wish.
Baylan’s lightsaber was also a point of contention in the first release, with a red coloured blade that was not reflective of the orange tone we saw him and Shin Hati use in the show. The revised Mercenary release doesn’t dramatically alter this, but there is a slight lightening of the blade - but it still presents as red rather than orange. The saber hilt is black and silver and can be slung onto a hook on Skoll’s belt or held in either hand. The elongated blade - almost as big as the figure itself - slots in using the standard clip-in peg with socket.
Articulation is entirely pinless and we have 17 points of articulation with the thigh swivels removed and a swivel added into the knee joint to compensate. The lower skirt is a flexible plastic and is split, but extends so far down past the knee that while Skoll can widen his stance, he won’t be kneeling or crouching on display. The upper body is more maneuverable with more flexible plastic used on the shoulder armour which is then hinged so it can be moved up and with the arms when posing.
The cloak does provide the Mercenary version of Baylan Skoll an improved complete look from the first release and displaying him with his cloak is my current choice within the Ahsoka segment of my collection. Sadly, the opportunity to resolve the well-documented height issue and the light saber has not been taken and therefore the £24.99 Fan Channel price tag is pretty much for a repacked figure and the new cloak - fine for those who skipped the first release of Baylan Skoll, but a bit rich for those that already paid out for this general release.
After two inaccurate releases for Skoll we are unlikely to see a fix from Hasbro any time soon - so aftermarket mods to the legs are the only option to extend Baylan’s height, and we will have to see if there are any third party light saber blades created to give him (and Shin Hati) the orange blades that are key component on the show.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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